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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27009970">Scars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DwarvenBeardSpores/pseuds/DwarvenBeardSpores'>DwarvenBeardSpores</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath, Episode 174: Impact, Episode Related, Everybody Lives, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Healing, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Scars, everybody's shaken but they're FINE, fuck this episode seriously, noise - Freeform, pretty good coping mechanisms actually, they need care but they're FINE</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:48:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>660</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27009970</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DwarvenBeardSpores/pseuds/DwarvenBeardSpores</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When characters die and then live afterwards, they get a scar.</p>
<p>In this story, they show those scars off.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azu &amp; Howard Carter (Rusty Quill Gaming), Commander James Barnes &amp; Howard Carter (Rusty Quill Gaming), Meerk &amp; Hamid Saleh Haroun Al-Tahan, Meerk &amp; Natun &amp; Frederich (Rusty Quill Gaming), Sassraa &amp; Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom, The Vengence Crew, Zolf Smith &amp; Oscar Wilde</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Scars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fuck you Alexander Jalexander Nalexander. Everyone's FINE.</p>
<p>Anyway this is what I needed immediately after listening so I wrote it over like the next 3-5 hours. Here ya go.</p>
<p>Hugs for everybody &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There is a starburst of scar tissue in the center of Wilde's chest, a matching one on his back. Zolf runs trembling fingers around the jagged edges and swallows hard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilde shivers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You know," he says, going for levity and somewhat failing. "When I said I wanted to go and get penetrated in the forest, I wasn't expecting to come out looking like this." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span>," says Zolf. His voice shakes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wilde lifts a hand to Zolf's temple, the scar from Shoin's lab. He strokes from the center of the wound to the furthest point of scarring, then pulls Zolf's head against his chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well," he says. "At least now we match." </span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Sassraa's missing several fangs. Deep gouges cover the side of her face. Their smile is tentative, crooked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cel's lips wobble as they give a lopsided smile back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Does it look cool?" Sassraa asks, lisping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, buddy," Cel says. "Yeah, it looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool, and-- and-- and I mean it's a story, now, that you can tell for years and years and years because y-you're-- you're here to tell it, I mean-- a-and I'm sorry that--"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Have you got stories?" Sassraa interrupts. Cel has many, many scars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, yes, loads, but um--" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can you tell me? I'd like to hear how it's done." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh," Cel says. "Of-- of course, if you'd like." They sit down and lean against a half-repaired engine, roll up one of their sleeves to show off a long burn on their arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sassraa settles in next to them and puts a claw in their hand. "I would," she says softly. Then, "you're cool too."</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Draal insists on assembling the equipment in the crow's nest, which is still intact but tilted at a severe angle. Hamid insists on helping by flying things up and down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meerk doesn't protest. Between those two he keeps getting a lot of weird guilty looks, and his right arm is still stiff, most of the scales stripped and replaced with scar tissue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meerk stays with Frederich and Natun, rebuilding the instruments that'd disassembled when the bar got stowed. Frederich tweaks the accordion. Natun complains about not getting to keep Carter's voice. Meerk sits on Frederich's shoulders and silently assembles the drums.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they finally start playing, the sound is massive. It blares from the new speaker system in the crow's nest, across the wreckage of the ship, the forest, and at the same time deep into Meerk's chest, their bones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hamid claps his hands over his ears but gives an encouraging, if tearful, nod. The captain falls over. Zolf yells something about attracting monsters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meerk leans into the microphone. Their arm may be stiff but it can still pound the drums. They shriek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Scream because they're alive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They're alive.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>"Ow," says Carter, for the fifth time, despite the fact that the crooked set of his jaw and the long scrapes down his belly are, by this point, almost entirely superficial. He rubs his face and crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at Barnes and Azu, who are both staring at him. "What? I died, okay, I'm allowed to be sore." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No one's saying you're not," says Azu.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That'd be a first."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azu opens her mouth, then closes it. "I'm sorry. I'm glad you're not dead."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Me too," says Barnes, and despite his face, there's more emotion there than Carter is maybe ever comfortable with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He's already sorted out the contents of his pockets with Natun, but they're all things he'll get yelled at for having, except the fancy cards Azu'd given him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay, if you're going to sit there and watch me, do you want to at least play something?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Those are fortune cards," says Azu. "It's not exactly a game."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I invented one." Carter shuffles the deck. "Betting is required, and the main rule is that you have to cheat."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azu makes a face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Barnes eyes the bright colors. "Alright. Deal us in."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Carter wins. Somehow, that seems appropriate.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear what you thought. I can also be found on tumblr as dwarven-beard-spores and twitter as @beardspores.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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